


It Hurts To Be Left Behind, Not Loved Anymore

by metaphoricallylivin



Series: Earth 25: Oh, Yeah I'm An Ugly Mess [13]
Category: DCU
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 17:17:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11212605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metaphoricallylivin/pseuds/metaphoricallylivin
Summary: The move back to Gotham had been in the works for a while. Toby was going back home, back to the place he'd come from.





	It Hurts To Be Left Behind, Not Loved Anymore

**Author's Note:**

> Um no tws for this chap. I adjusted Toby's backstory a little bit and changed his main alias from Toby Conroy to Toby Head because it's one of Talia's aliases and it makes sense for Jason's main alias he used for like... his life to come from his days with Talia. Also I wanna do some stuff with rewriting Talia to make her like... less horrible tbh.

Toby moved back to Gotham 3 weeks before his 17th birthday. He was old enough to take care of himself and even if Jason and his relationship was still somewhat strained Jason would want him back. Jason loved him and being on meds had done him good, he was a lot less… angry. Maybe angry wasn't the right word, but nonetheless Jason was in some ways better.

 

Toby stood in the apartment, his home for the last 10 months and he didn't know what to do. Steph was starting college in a couple months and he was leaving to go back home, Crystal's face made it clear she was just now dealing with the idea that her home would be empty soon. Toby wanted to tell her he'd come back to visit, but he wasn't quite reliable when it came to that stuff. He was kinda spacy and had a one track mind, if he was in Blüdhaven he’d be more likely to crash in a dumpster than remember that Crystal had said he always had a place in her home. He was stupid like that.

 

“If you're in trouble, call. I care about all my kids, even Tim despite the fact that he forgets that more often than not,” Crystal said, she was hugging Toby tightly and for a second he forgot to breathe. Crystal Brown was a good mom, she loved her daughter and her daughter’s gaggle of sometimes superpowered and sometimes highly trained friends.

 

“I’ll call,” Toby said. He smiled and hugged her again before sliding into Steph’s car. Most of his stuff was piled into the back of it, the rest in his backpack.

 

“I'm pretty sure my mom considers you ours now,” Steph said. “Also feet off the dashboard, dickwad.”

 

Toby rolled his eyes and took his feet down. “I mean she and Selina are the closest things to a mom I've ever had.”

 

“God, her and Selina meeting. They’d either marry each other or adopt every single cat in the city. Ten bucks says both,” Steph said, snorting a little at the thought.

 

“No way I'm taking that bet,” Toby said.

 

“Cuz you’re a coward,” Steph said. “And remember I'm driving the car so if you try to fight me I have the power right now.”

 

“I hate you,” Toby huffed, crossing his arm and making his best half pouting, half sulking face.

 

“Awww, I'm so flattered,” Steph mocked, if Toby bothered to mockingly hate someone it meant he loved them, at least a little bit.

 

“You haven’t told your mom you're going to Gotham U,” Toby said.

 

“Did you read my mail, you little…” Steph started saying before she was interrupted.

 

“No, you keep getting mail from them and I'm the one who gets the mail. In case you forgot. I'm just saying if you don't want your mom to find out you’re going back to Gotham the hard way, tell her yourself,” Toby said.

 

“I’m just waiting for the right moment,” Steph said.

 

“Okay, don't wait too long though? She loves you a lot, but she doesn't like it when you keep things,” Toby said. His look was earnest.

 

“Okay, I won't. I'll tell her soon,” Steph said.

 

The rest of the drive went in silence. Toby was moving back into the warehouse, he hadn't quite gotten permission from Jason, but Toby didn't care. Jason hadn't even called him when he'd been done with therapy, he'd had to find out from Duke. He'd tried not to be steaming with anger, but it'd failed. He'd felt like Jason didn't love him anymore, didn't want him anymore.

 

* * *

 

 

The warehouse was empty. No one was there which for a second made Toby feel almost happy, until he came to his room. It looked different. Not different as in different sheets or had been tidied up a little bit, but different like it belonged to someone else now. His black comforter had been replaced with one with a star pattern on it and the sheets had Superman symbols on it. A toy Superman sat on the dresser and there was drawings on the door to his closet in chalk markers. It wasn't his bedroom and it didn't even bother to look the part anymore.

 

Jason had taken in a new kid. A kid to replace him, one who wouldn't betray him, one who wasn't temperament and mean and broken. Jason had traded him in for a newer, maybe even better, model. It made his blood boil. He grabbed one of the kid’s toy’s off the shelf, a stuffed astronaut and pulled. The head came off easily with a ripping noise. He moved to grab something else before realizing that whoever this kid was they didn't deserve their stuff destroyed by him because he was a petty, vindictive teenager. He took out his phone.

 

Luke had been his ICE contact for years, he was more likely to not be kicking the snot out of some thugs at any given time of day. He also understood Toby in a weird way, understood his silence and trepidation. Toby and Luke could communicate well, in a way Jason and Toby hadn't really been able to.

 

“Luke, um, I'm back at the warehouse. Do you still have your apartment downtown?” Toby asked, he fiddled with the edge of his shirt, torn between leaving the toy and stitching it up.

 

“Toby? Are you okay?” Luke asked, Toby heard the rustle of keys on the other end. “I thought you weren’t moving back for another week.”

 

“I moved up the time table. Steph and I were waiting until we trained some people to take over, but it went easier than we thought. Can I stay with you?” Toby was tripping over his words and he didn't know what to do. Part of him was fuming and the other part just felt lost.

 

“You didn't answer my question,” Luke said.

 

“Don't leave work, I just want permission,” Toby said.

 

“Toby, you're always welcome. I live almost entirely at the warehouse, but I still have the apartment,” Luke said.

 

Toby breathed deeply. His therapist had said that counting to three was the best way to reign in his temper. “Thank you. Steph and I will be there because I know you don't listen and you’re probably already heading over.”

 

“We had a ‘Welcome Back’ party planned. Cass is going to be mad you ruined it,” Luke said.

 

“Just make it a birthday party then,” Toby said.

 

“Bye. See you soon, be safe,” Luke said.

 

“Will do,” Toby responded, before shutting off the phone. He hung his head for a few seconds before he grabbed his box and went back outside, locking the security system to the warehouse behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment... I beg of you. I don't bite.
> 
> The toy's are Bizarro's btw.


End file.
